Alameda Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal Electrification Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026071054
Public Agency
Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Document Title
Alameda Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal Electrification Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/27/2026
Document Description
The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), operating public ferry service as San Francisco Bay Ferry, is electrifying the Alameda Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal to support reliable, zero-emission ferry service between Alameda and Downtown San Francisco. The Project is part of WETA’s Rapid Electric Emission Free (REEF) Ferry Program, a comprehensive initiative to transition the San Francisco
Bay Ferry fleet to all-electric, zero-emission operation and to support WETA’s compliance with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Commercial Harbor Craft (CHC) regulations. The Alameda Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal is among the first terminals to be electrified under the REEF Program to serve the battery-electric ferry vessels currently under construction.
The Project encompasses both waterside and landside/shoreside improvements at the existing terminal. On the waterside, the existing passenger float will be replaced in kind with a new Universal Charging Float (UCF) installed on the existing pile system, housing a battery energy storage system with a total of 1,351 kWh of storage capacity together with the charging equipment needed to charge battery-electric ferry vessels during passenger loading and unloading. On the landside and shoreside, the Project includes utility upgrades and electrical improvements to deliver medium-voltage (12 kV) power to the terminal, with electrical feeders routed beneath the existing fixed pier and gangway structure to connect to the UCF. The Project does not change the existing use, capacity, or overwater footprint of the terminal.
The Project will benefit ferry passengers traveling between Alameda and San Francisco through continued, reliable service aboard quieter, cleaner electric vessels; the broader Bay Area through reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved regional air quality; and WETA and its regulatory partners by advancing the agency’s transition to a zero-emission ferry fleet.
Contact Information
Name
Chad Mason
Agency Name
San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Job Title
Capital Planning Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Name
Seamus Murphy
Agency Name
San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Job Title
Executive Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Location
Cities
Alameda
Counties
Alameda
Regions
San Francisco Bay Area
Cross Streets
1701 Ferry Point Road
Zip
94501
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Statutory Exemption, PRC Section 21080.25
Reasons for Exemption
Under PRC Section 21080.25, projects that “construct or maintain infrastructure to charge or refuel zeroemission ferries” that are carried out by a public agency on property owned by the transit agency, within an existing public right-of-way, or on property owned by a public or private utility are statutorily exempt from CEQA requirements. The proposed Project improvements—including the Universal Charging Float, the associated battery energy storage and charging systems, and the landside and shoreside utility infrastructure improvements that deliver medium-voltage power to the terminal—would be carried out and/or funded by WETA both on WETA property and in the public right-of-way, and are consistent with a project “to construct or maintain infrastructure to charge or refuel zero-emission ferries” under PRC 21080.25. Therefore, the proposed Project satisfies the requirements of PRC Section 21080.25 and is statutorily exempt from CEQA.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Categorical Exemption, Classes 1, 2 and 11. Section 15301, 15302 and 15311
Reasons for Exemption
The project is consistent with a Class 1 Categorical Exemption (CEQA Guideline § 15301) because it modifies an existing facility with electrical charging infrastructure but involves negligible or no expansion of existing use. The project is consistent with a Class 2 Categorical Exemption (CEQA Guideline § 15302) because it will replace and reconstruct an existing facility. The new passenger float, charging infrastructure, and associated landside electrical improvements will be located on the same site as the existing facility and will have the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced. The project is consistent with a Class 11 Categorical Exemption (CEQA Guideline § 15311) because it involves constructing or placing minor structures accessory to an existing ferry terminal. The project will not involve cumulative impacts and will have no reasonable possibility of a significant effect due to unusual circumstances or a uniquely sensitive environment.
County Clerk
Alameda
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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